Allen Cates

About the Author Allen Cates' first book Honor Denied is a published research document seeking veteran benefits for Air America employees. He was urged to personalize it with his more than seven years experiences with Air America. Allen cuts thru the myths and deception surrounding the U.S. government ownership of Air America and the CIA in Laos. Allen has written several articles about Air America that includes a copyrighted history of Air America placed on the Air America Association website. https://www.air-america.org/air-america-history.html Allen Cates’ second book is a historical novel providing information about Air America in Southeast Asia through a fictitious protagonist. The work takes liberty with some issues, but the history of Air America and what happened in Southeast Asia is historically correct. Allen spent almost eight years in Vietnam and Laos flying helicopters with the Marines and then Air America. Altogether, Allen flew a variety of airplanes and helicopters for two decades and has an even amount of flight time in both. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for a search-and-rescue of a downed Navy A-6 crew north of the DMZ while a Marine and thirteen Air Medals. He was involved with four more SAR missions with Air America, rescuing a downed A-7 pilot in southern Laos, an AC-130 gunship crewmember over the Ho Chi Minh Trail, an F-4 Phantom pilot over the PDJ in northern Laos, and an AD Skyraider pilot near 20 Alternate in Laos. For the last forty-five years, Allen has worked in the oil and gas industry with his wife and companion Lucette whom he married almost fifty years ago. Lucette was born in a country that no longer exists; French Indo China. Her father was an Austrian businessman and her mother, Chinese. Allen is an active member of the Air America Association and served as their President and General Secretary. He is a certified Project Manager Professional and a licensed Louisiana Insurance agent. “Full Circle brought back memories of my time as a former Marine fixed wing pilot and the same with Air America in Laos and Thailand in the early 1960's. I could very easily have been Brian.” - Allen Cates, author